TN recovering overpaid jobless benefits

Tax refunds nabbed to help state get some money back

3:50 AM,
Apr. 10, 2013

Written by

G. Chambers Williams III
| The Tennessean

A recent audit of Tennessee's unemployment insurance program found that only $11.3 million in overpayments to recipients was recovered in the most recent fiscal year, a small portion when compared with the $73.4 million still left uncollected by the end of the same period.

Now, though, the state has stepped up collection efforts, using a new tool made possible by the U.S. Treasury Department: snatching the federal income tax refunds of people who got unemployment benefits to which they weren't entitled.

Since July 1, 2012, when new state regulations took effect allowing recovery of ...